Random Saturday musings, an award and a FABULOUS giveaway!!

Good morning. We are supposed to have a beautiful fall day today,  I am going up to CT. for the day but was really hoping to go upstate to enjoy the fall foliage which is just about to peak but hopefully next weekend. Today's post is a lot of random thoughts, an exciting giveaway and an award I received!!  So excuse any real lack of organization or sole purpose. First to answer questions that have been asked of me since I posted my Thurs. house update (click here to visit) I find its easier for me to answer questions as they come, then onto the giveaway and the award. Lets get started......

1.Many people asked about the names of the wallpapers featured in Thurs. post so here they are....(pardon the pictures, took with my phone)
This one is from  Schumacher #529252

This is by Sanderson (at Zoffany Showroom design is Palampore, pattern #DCAVPA105

And finally this one is also Sanderson at Zoffany Design is Roslyn pattern #DVIWRO101

2. What color is your island and butlers pantry? The island is painted black whereas the pantry is stained a very dark java stain, the darkest that exists yet in the sun you can see the graining come through.
3. Is my marble in the kitchen and butlers honed or polished? Honed, only because its a personal preference, and the key is or so I have been told, to be sure to use a heavy duty sealer for it once or twice a year.
4. What colors are we using throughout the house? I can't totally and accurately answer this as we are only really working on a few rooms right now, but there will be lots of blue, varying shades of tans and gold, and grays. My bedroom is going to be cream and a very pale gray/blue. Family room as I have spoken about is going to be golds, blues and browns. I will surely share with you all what I am doing but thus far this is about it.
5. When am I moving? Ahh, the million dollar question! We are aiming and that is the key word, to move mid November. However to do so the front entrance has to be in, they just installed the front door and I am giving you a sneak peak of it in the process of being installed, now that its installed they are able to work on the surround so if weather cooperates and all goes well they should have it done within a week or two. We are taking it one day at a time at this point, and fingers crossed I will be in by Thanksgiving. There are no words to describe how much I need to be "home".Sneak peek at door...

6. I got the question of my topiaries, a future business and whether I will be selling these or not a lot. So first thank you so much for your many kind remarks and inquiries, yes I will at some point start selling them along with some wonderful items. I do see a market for certain things just based on my own personal experience in looking for certain things. I feel the market is saturated with a capital S with things that are more transitional, but for really classic old world traditional items I find them less available. So, while I recognize that moving is the most important thing at this minute,  I am anxious and ready to start pursuing other dreams I have had for quite a while. I don't want to be 80 and have regrets or wonder why I didn't at least try something I thought so long about doing! Anyone else feel that way?
I think that answers most of the questions that I got that haven't yet been answered! Thank you for your interest and feel free to ask away.

Now onto a fabulous giveaway, Safavieh has once again generously donated this amazingly elegant "telephone" or end table... talk about versatile! This could go anywhere, and is such a great looking little piece. It is very simple to be eligible to win. (You get your choice in color)

TO ENTER:1. Visit Safavieh at www.safaviehhome.com2. Choose a favorite item, then go to their Facebook page and tell them what you love and be sure you mention you are from The Enchanted Home.3. Click here to go to Facebook or while on their website,on the home page there is an "F" (Facebook symbol)  to take you there.4. You will not be eligible unless you have left a message on Facebook.5. I will announce the lucky winner on Friday!
And last, I just got informed that lovely Wendi from Classic Chic Home has awarded me the Versatile Blogger award!!

Thank you so very much Wendi! In case you are not already familiar with Wendi's wonderful site all about chic decorating and living, you must visit, click here to visit.
In accepting this award, you are asked to award this to 15 other bloggers and share 7 things about yourself.  So, first my 7 things.
1. I LOVE Swedish fish, hot tamales and red vines licorice. Have since I was like I think 10 years old and discovered the wonders of using  red vines as a straw in a slurpee :)

3. I dream often about buying a little charming farmhouse in Vermont, and growing a huge garden, opening up a super intimate farm to table restaurant serving things straight from the "farm" in other words leaving all the chaos behind and escaping to a simple quite life in the country. Its a fantasy but it helps me relax just thinking about it!
4. I have a bucket list that is ridiculously long. I have many many many things I would like to accomplish. I am determined to start checking things off that list when I move.
5. I really think I could have been a great actress, I am not being conceited, i just feel like I do have an ability to act. Didn't spend a day in theater or drama class, but somehow I do think I am  capable of acting "on cue". The few people who know this about me, agree but I just don't talk about it or reveal it to many people, it might seem silly. But now you know!
6. I like to pretend I am in my own cooking show, when I am cooking (well, only when I am really in the mood that is) I talk to myself, pour my wine, really get into it....makes it a lot more fun! 
7. I love to read, and I read about everything including some very random subjects. I feel that reading really does broaden your horizons and opens your mind to knowing so much more about the world. Two of the more recent random books I read were the biography of Albert Einstein (sooo fascinating) called Albert Einstein by Albrecht Folsing and then I read "The Quaints" by Scott Patterson, which is basically about the mathematical wunderkinds on wall street coming straight out of the best  colleges and how their mathematical applications to running and controlling the stock market made them billions all the way to the meltdown in 2007. I LOVED this book, it is mind blowing and captivating but you have to be kind of interested in this to enjoy it. I was just captivated. Random books? Yes, but I enjoy them.
Anywhooo, that's my seven things. Onto 15 deserving bloggers, this is hard very hard because I could easily list 30 but I am trying here to think of someone I haven't awarded something to in the past but someone who is doing a heck of a job and deserves some love. I hope you will make a quick visit to each, and say hello. We ALL know that warm and fuzzy feeling we get when someone comments that they just found us, love our blog and are a new follower! So here we go....say hello and congrats to
Donna from D ReyneJordand from White CabanaDebra from Acquired ObjectsEmily from The French HutchI dream ofPam from Red TickingThe Buzz blogSarah from Belle on HeelsJennifer from Belclaire HouseDawn from The Alternative brideMelinda from Georgica PondMelissah from ScrapbookLisa from A room with a viewTP from The preppy princessRachel from All things architectureMonika from Splendid Willow

So there is all my randomness, I could actually go on and on, and could tell you how about this amazing recipe I got for oatmeal cookies and on a whim ran to the market, and decided to whip up a batch and I could tell you how good they came out and could also tell you how I have over the last two days proceeded to eat almost the entire batch myself. I could but I won't!Enjoy your day and weekend!

PS Well, maybe on second thought I will spill the beans on the cookie binge but will share it along with the recipe on Thursday :) 

Things I am loving Thursday and house updates!

Good morning...hope everyone is well. We have had so much rain lately, it poured like crazy yesterday and the howling wind made me realize summer is long gone.  Another week going by, all so fast! I cannot believe we are nearly at the end of October. Two months until December......until Christmas? Oh boy.....better buckle up, chaotic endless days are in my future. I must admit it has my head spinning just a little, makes me weak at the knees to think about the growing pressure of moving in, settling, unpacking, preparing for Thanksgiving and then Christmas shopping (this always makes my heart start beating a wee bit faster), as much as I absolutely love Christmas and the magic that is this holiday, I tend to work myself into a frenzy every year. Deep breaths, deep breaths.This week over at the house, things continue to buzz right along. I think I will be saying this for quite awhile, but most of my time and energies are spent over at the house. At this stage of the game, I am often there more than once a day, but its all good. And fingers crossed yours truly will be moving in mid November, our goal as of right now! Today's post is really all about "house biz", haven't had a lot of time to look into much else but I am NOT complaining one bit!

Before I begin, has anyone heard from or spoken to Angela and Renee from Under Spanish Moss? They are so sweet and haven't posted in over a month they stopped by here practically daily and I haven't heard from them, then I emailed to see if everything was OK, and haven't heard back! I hope all is fine, and they are just super busy or were on a wonderful extended vacation, but if you have spoken to them, please let us know. 

First before I begin, here are the results of this weeks Which would you choose? I was happy to see my two personal faves were in 1st and 2nd place!! Though to me, they were all pretty incredible and I don't think there was a slouch in the bunch! Here are the top five with a record number of  over 140 people commenting! Thank you all for participating. You spoke, I heard and here are the results....
1st place with 47 votes

2nd place with 43 votes

3rd place with 41 votes

4th place with 21 votes

5th place with 19 votes

Thank you all for participating, I love seeing what all you stylish design divas are loving!

HOUSE UPDATES. Unlike last weeks anti climatic updates (to me at least) this week is a lot more exciting. FINALLY the limestone has arrived for front and they are laying the groundwork to put in the front entrance, I think by next week I will have some great progress to show you. Front door also gets put in today! The butlers pantry had the backsplash put in, I actually had left over from one of the bathrooms, subways so decided to be practical and smart and used that, I really like the way it came out, very timeless and classic. Upstairs floors are done and came out beautiful, we went with a rich medium brown with  no red. Family room staining is just about done...love love love the color! I was going to get pictures tonight but at 6pm they were still working so I couldn't get pictures of it almost finished but the ones below are "in progress"pics! Carpeting getting put in next week and my stove and remaining appliances being delivered on Monday. Painting continues, and overall we are as you can see, making lots of good steady progress!

Kitchen getting ready for ceiling treatment

Family room 1st round of stain and stipping

Just had to peel back the paper and take a peek at my floor....so tired of the paper and cardboard!

The little cabinet between kitchen and butlers, completed with backsplash subways

Window mullions in process of getting painted/glazed

Finish for ceiling in kitchen, to be done by next week

A NEW WALLPAPER FOR BACK POWDER ROOM. I was at the D&D building this week and had so much fun. The three showrooms I spent the most time in and found what I loved was Schumacher, Zoffany and Ralph Lauren. If you are looking for great  wallpaper I think Zoffany and  Schumacher are hard to beat and for traditional, timeless classic kind of fabrics to me, Ralph  still reigns king. I was very very happy to have found a gorgeous wallpaper for the back powder room and I am not looking anymore. I fell in love with it, its the perfect blend of being crisp and fresh but still traditional. Its a done deal!  I found a second similar feeling wallpaper with the slightest hint of metallic gold which I am also determined to use somewhere!

 And this is the other that I love, has a hint of gold in the flowers, maybe guest bathroom....

And finally the paper for our guest powder room, went back to one of the originals, it works so well with the honey onyx, its a no brainer. Why overthink this?

Wow I just realized these pictures are REALLY bad, sorry!! But you get the idea, right?

NEW TOPIARIES AND ACCESSORIES FOR MY FUTURE KITCHEN ISLAND. Without giving too much away (still very early on) I am working on a potential future business and have been "experimenting" with different trades people to help me realize a few ideas I have. So far things are looking really good but I am not one to talk too much about things until they are really definitely without a doubt happening. I also know the importance of timing and though I am doing my 'homework' I cannot spread myself too thin, so am concentrating fully on finishing the house and moving.   As things become more definite you can be sure I will share any details with you, but for now this is a pair of topiaries I designed, they are VERY tall about 3 and a half feet, and really pretty!~ Also how do you like the French tray? What do you think? Feedback is important!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES.....the long awaited doors were installed in butlers pantry late today, its an official LOVE for me! ( It was dark and pouring outside so pardon the fair quality in the pictures and they are really dusty but you get the idea)! Hardware comes next week:)

So that's about it for me this week!! Would love to know if there is anything you are loving or want to share!! Always love hearing about something new and exciting. Thanks for stopping by and wishing you all a wonderful day!